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Religious Practices and Self-Care in Iranian Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

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Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between religious practices and self-care of patients with type 2 diabetes. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted on 154 diabetic patients who were referred to two general teaching hospitals in Qom City (Iran). Data were collected using demographic questionnaire, private and public religious practices, and summary of diabetes self-care activities questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and statistical tests including independent t test, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Significant positive correlations were observed between religious practices and self-care activities in diabetic patients (p < 0.05). Significant positive correlations were also found between some religious practices and self-care activities subscales (p < 0.05). Healthcare providers should be aware of the role that religion plays in the lives of diabetic patients and be able to take religious factors into account when developing care plans. Doing so will enhance a more patient-centered approach and thereby support patients in their role as self-care decision-makers.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the help and support of all the participating patients. The authors also offer their heartfelt thanks to Qom University of Medical Sciences and Center for Health and Religion Research for financial support of this study [this study has been approved at this research center as a research plan (Proposal Numbered P/34/26565)].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran

    Saeide Heidari

  2. Autoimmune Disease Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Qotb-e Ravandi Boulevard, Kashan, 8715981151, Iran

    Mahboubeh Rezaei & Neda Mirbagher Ajorpaz

  3. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arāk, Iran

    Mahbobeh Sajadi

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Harold G. Koenig

  5. Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Harold G. Koenig

  6. Department of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, People’s Republic of China

    Harold G. Koenig

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  1. Saeide Heidari
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  2. Mahboubeh Rezaei
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Correspondence to Mahboubeh Rezaei.

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Heidari, S., Rezaei, M., Sajadi, M. et al. Religious Practices and Self-Care in Iranian Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. J Relig Health 56, 683–696 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0320-x

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